Tucked into the rolling hills of Provence, at the world-renowned Château La Coste, is a series of handcrafted Plasterglass forms by RALPH PUCCI International. Tables, chairs, and lamps created by 13 artists, designers, and long-time collaborators of the studio catch the famously golden light of southern France on their curved and emotive surfaces. But other than the spectrum of shadows produced by all the light that streams through the pavilion’s glass walls, the forms are completely white—ready to soak up and transform whatever sunlight or association happens to play across them.
«Château La Coste is one of the most inspiring places in the world to explore the intersection between art, architecture and design,» Ralph Pucci tells us. «I had visited before and as soon as [hotelier] Paddy [McKillen] invited us to show I knew what I wanted to achieve with the exhibit.»
«PURE» marks the 70th anniversary of the Pucci studio, and the 50th since its been led by Ralph Pucci. It’s also the very first American design exhibition at the Château, and only the 4th in total.
What began as a family business repairing mannequins in 1954, founded by Nick and Lee Pucci, morphed into a custom mannequin shop in the late ‘70s after their son, Ralph Pucci, joined the team. Now, their mannequins are legendary, even commanding their own exhibit, the Art of the Mannequin in 2015. It was in the ‘90s, however, that the studio took up residence in New York’s Soho, and the RALPH PUCCI studio turned to furniture and lighting. Today, the studio is known for its hand-crafted luxury pieces that artfully, and intentionally, show the hands that made them. The proprietary Plasterglass material, known for durability, in fact shows the literal fingerprints of its makers.
Though the studio often deals in vibrant colors, sticking to all-white forms for the «PURE» collection was intentional. «I knew immediately when planning the show that I wanted all the pieces to be white and very sculptural,» Pucci tells us. «It was instinctive—I felt that it was important for the setting and for how the pieces communicate with each other. There is no distraction, the viewer is drawn to look at each piece, whether that’s from a distance, even from outside the building, or up close. They can explore how it was formed, the nuances that are created by the hand of its maker.»
Location also plays a part. At the Château, the collection is displayed inside the pavilion designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, whose glass walls and curved lines are a natural echo of the forms in «PURE»: «While this is only the fourth design show [at] Château La Coste, our pieces feel immediately at home here; the Niemeyer is the perfect setting,» Ralph tells us. «The sculptures speak to the architecture effortlessly, and the pure white forms and clean architectural lines interact powerfully. It was important to me that it celebrated art in all its forms, and I think it’s done that.»
Ralph Pucci’s PURE inside the Oscar Niemeyer Pavilion at the Château La Coste in Provence, France.
The artists and designers whose work comprises the PURE collection include Patrick Naggar, Eric Schmitt, John Koga, Paul Mathieu, Elizabeth Garouste, Lee F. Mindel, Stefan Bishop, Vladimir Kagan, Nina Seirafi, Olivier Gagnère, Alexandre Logé, Xavier Lust, and Ilkka Suppanen—several of whom are long-time collaborators of the Ralph Pucci in-house studio. «I chose pieces which I felt were the most interesting, that had a different point of view, and not necessarily the most commercial,» says Pucci. «They are all so different, but unmistakably represent their designer and that is what the show is about. Celebrating the hand of the artist.»
The collection is on view at the Château through summer 2025. The studio will also host live sculpting demonstrations by master sculptor, Michael Evert.
“PURE” Made in New York: A Celebration of a Sculpture Studio | Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium | June 23 – September 21, 2025. For details and ticket information, visit the Château la Coste website.
